Arc 4 Chapter 47 : Battle of Tusculum

[Raul PoV]

I was currently inside the tunnel being constructed by the Earth Element mages.

It was incredibly hot down here, and the lighting was also extremely limited.

The entrance to the tunnel was located one kilometer away from the city.

After nearly six days of work, the mages had only managed to dig 300 meters.

Their task was to excavate the earth, remove it from the tunnel, and then reinforce the tunnel with stone to keep it from collapsing.

The tunnel itself was only fifty meters underground.

I figured that should be deep enough to prevent the enemy from detecting our activities.

"Keep digging and get this soil out of here!"

"We've been using magic for several hours. How much longer until our shift ends?"

There were five mages responsible for excavating the earth and three others responsible for removing the soil they dug out.

Every three hours, the mages would be replaced so they could recover their Mana.

For every thirty meters we advanced, the mages would reinforce the tunnel walls with stone to withstand the pressure of the surrounding earth, allowing our soldiers to safely pass through later.

"Hey, you said you've been inside this city before, right?"

A Supervisor standing beside me was overseeing the construction.

He was a specialized architect who had been assigned to the war effort.

"That's right. Why?" I asked him.

"Are you certain this route won't intersect with any of their facilities?"

"Actually, this city has an underground area," I explained. "But I don't think the route we're taking will intersect with it. That area is located near the river."

— GRRRUUUHHHH!!!

Suddenly, we felt a vibration coming from above us.

"Looks like the battle above is getting more intense," the Architect said.

"That's to be expected, isn't it? We have to make it look like we're genuinely trying to break through from the front so the enemy believes that's where we're planning to enter the city," I replied.

Days passed.

We finally completed the tunnel on the twentieth day.

Four people, including myself, then emerged from underground at night by digging a hole to the surface.

We discovered that our exit point was directly behind a barracks inside the city.

We quickly climbed out and covered the opening before any guards could notice us.

Afterward, we split up to search for a suitable location where the rest of our forces could emerge later.

I quietly moved through one of the city's alleys before climbing onto the roof of a building to get a better view of the surrounding area.

— BOMMBB!! BOMMBB!! BOMMBBB!!

Explosions and heavy impacts echoed from my left.

If I remembered correctly, our forces had already prepared a large-scale assault to draw the enemy's attention toward the front.

That way, when our other soldiers emerged from the tunnel, the enemy wouldn't be prepared to stop them.

A golden light appeared in the direction of the explosions.

"Elena..."

She was currently positioned at the very front line, using her Profound Codex to help our soldiers withstand the assault against Tusculum City's defenses.

"We have to hurry..."

After searching around for some time, I finally found a suitable location for our troops to emerge from the tunnel.

It was a temple dedicated to the Goddess Diana.

The place was currently empty, with the Priests apparently stationed at the front lines so they could treat the wounded more quickly.

Once I found a suitable location, I returned to the hole where I had emerged earlier and informed the mages to extend the tunnel and create an exit there.

---

[Elena PoV]

The sounds of magical explosions and gunfire echoed from every direction.

The soldiers advancing alongside me were currently taking cover behind several earthen walls created by our mages.

Thirty thousand soldiers were currently assaulting Tusculum City.

However, before we could reach the city itself, the enemy forces began firing magic and sharp projectiles at us, forcing our advance to a halt two hundred meters from the city's entrance.

— BANG! BANG!

— BOMB! BOMB!

The earthen walls we were hiding behind shook violently after being struck by the enemy's magical projectiles.

Large cracks had already begun forming, indicating that the walls wouldn't hold for much longer.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Meanwhile, our Golems were also hurling stone projectiles toward the city, temporarily suppressing the enemy's magical and gunfire attacks against our defensive walls.

"Now! Advance!" I ordered the entire army.

"OUUUHH!"

"OUUUHH!"

All the soldiers emerged from behind the walls and spread out.

I followed them, sprinting toward Tusculum City.

Directly ahead of us stood another earthen wall, with several Venetian Republic Musketeer squads positioned on top of it.

They appeared to have reloaded their weapons and were now aiming directly at us.

— Bang! Bang! Bang!

Many of the soldiers around me collapsed after they were shot.

I drew my sword and activated Thunder Whip, transforming my blade into a long whip of lightning.

— CETARRR! CETARRR! CETARRR!

I lashed the Venetian Republic's Musketeers standing on top of the earthen wall, giving our forces an opportunity to advance and break through the wall blocking the city's entrance.

"Advance! Be brave! Do not fear! Victory is within our grasp!"

After shouting those words, I saw the soldiers under my command move faster than before.

A golden light also began illuminating their bodies.

It seemed this Profound Codex would activate whenever I inspired a large number of people during a battle.

I needed to learn how to control it perfectly so I could use it more effectively in the future.

"Flame Emperor!"

— BOOOMMMBBB!!!

Suddenly, a massive dragon-shaped flame shot from behind us and slammed into the wall blocking the city's entrance, destroying it completely.

That was an attack from Grand Espada Danilo.

The soldiers immediately began flooding into the city.

However, the enemy forces certainly wouldn't allow us to enter so easily and immediately began firing magical projectiles at us.

Our mages at the rear returned fire, allowing our Infantry to fully enter the city.

"Fall back! The first line of defense has been breached!"

"Retreat gradually!"

I heard those shouts coming from the enemy forces.

They had begun retreating and forming a new defensive line around the buildings throughout the city.

"If this continues, even if we manage to break through their defenses, we'll still suffer heavy casualties despite using my Profound Codex," I muttered, growing pessimistic about the battle's progress. "I wonder when the troops using the tunnel will appear on the battlefield."

If they could launch a surprise attack against the Alliance forces from within the city, conquering Tusculum would become much easier.

However, suddenly, my body began to feel slightly weaker.

Something was wrong...

"..."

Tiny droplets of blood began emerging from my body and floating toward somewhere in the distance.

"What's happening!? My body was so light before, but now it feels incredibly heavy!"

"Me too! My blood is coming out of my wounds!"

It wasn't just me.

The blood of both our soldiers and the enemy troops was being drawn out of their bodies and lifted toward a certain location.

What was happening...?

"Hahahaha! After all this time, I've finally returned to the battlefield!"

Suddenly, I heard a madman's laughter coming from somewhere ahead.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

---

[Vlad PoV]

Kill...

Kill...

And kill...

It's been so long since I've torn human bodies apart!

It feels wonderful hearing their terrified screams as they face their approaching deaths!

"Retreat! That man is insane!"

"What kind of magic is he using!?"

I was currently slaughtering the Aragonian soldiers who had begun entering the city.

They hadn't allowed me to fight for months.

However, because the Alliance forces were now struggling against Elena's awakened ability, they had no choice but to deploy me to the battlefield.

"Die, you madman!"

One of the enemy Knights charged at me with his sword.

I easily dodged his attack before grabbing his neck with one hand.

"Blood Suction..."

The moment I whispered the name of the spell, the Knight's body began to wither.

The ecstasy I felt grew stronger as I drained more and more of his blood.

"Stop..." the Knight weakly pleaded, trying to free himself from my grip.

"Hah? What did you say? Speak louder!" I shouted excitedly.

"Please... stop... I still... don't want to die..."

Hahaha! Hahaha!

That expression...

I loved seeing the expressions of people begging for their lives when they were facing death.

"All right."

I loosened my grip around his neck slightly.

The Knight's expression immediately filled with hope.

But then, I suddenly tightened my grip again and drained every last drop of blood from his body until nothing remained but a skeleton.

The hopeful expression on his face was replaced by pure horror and terror.

— Brak!

I threw his corpse onto the street and looked toward the other Imperial soldiers attempting to break into the city from various directions.

It seemed my bloodlust would finally be satisfied on this battlefield.

"Advance! Don't stop! Keep pushing the enemy forces back!"

In the distance, I saw a beautiful and dignified woman encouraging and directing the soldiers under her command.

Not only that, but the elegant way she moved while cutting down our soldiers made my excitement reach its peak.

I wanted to wipe that brave and dignified expression from her face and replace it with fear and despair.

Oh, Elena...

Oh, Elena...

Once we win this war, you'll become my slave.

You'll serve me every night, and your screams will become a lullaby that puts me to sleep.

I began scratching my cheeks and pulling at my own hair as I imagined it happening.

Before I realized it, a spell had activated on its own.

The blood of everyone within roughly a one-kilometer radius of me began rising into the air, gathering directly above my head.

Blood Frenzy...

An ability commonly possessed by the descendants of the Dracus Family—the ruling family of the Kingdom of Draconia.

Our ability could absorb the blood of living creatures nearby and convert it into an essentially limitless supply of Mana for us to use in battle.

As the blood was absorbed, those whose blood was being drained would experience severe weakness, making this ability the perfect counter to Elena's power.

"Hahaha! This is so much fun! Time for a blood feast!"

I shouted as I began activating my magic to slaughter everyone around me.

The excited expressions of the enemy soldiers, bolstered by Elena's magic, immediately turned to fear when they saw me approaching.

"Bloody Pike!"

The moment I activated the spell, hundreds of blood spears erupted from the ground, impaling the Imperial soldiers and lifting their bodies into the air.

"Who else wants to try me!? I—Vlad mel Dracus—will send every last one of you to hell! Hahahaha!"

Not a single enemy dared approach.

They could only stare at me in fear, completely unsure of what to do.

"You haven't changed at all, Loser."

Suddenly, I heard a voice that was all too familiar.

The voice of the man I had wanted to destroy for so long.

"Oh, you stopped laughing? Did my presence bring back the trauma of that defeat?"

I turned toward the voice.

A black-haired, one-eyed man was walking toward me.

The blood coating his sword and body began floating upward under the effect of my magic.

"RAUL DE GARCIAAA!"

I formed a blood sword and charged toward the man I hated more than anyone.

— Tang!

Our swords collided.

Yet, unlike the other soldiers who trembled in fear when facing me, he was actually smiling.

"This time, I'll kill you! I'll tear you apart and turn your body into food for my pet dogs!"

Hearing my threat, he only laughed mockingly.

I desperately wanted to replace that expression with fear of death, just like the expressions of all the people I had killed.

"Oh, really?" he replied casually. "I'd also like to get rid of you and shut that loud mouth of yours, but..."

— BOOOMMMBBB!!!!

Suddenly, the sound of a thunderous explosion came from the side.

I turned my head and saw dozens of our soldiers being blown away by someone's magical attack.

From within the smoke created by the lightning explosion, a blonde-haired woman slowly emerged and began walking toward us.

"The one fighting you this time will be our Goddess of War."

The black-haired man then leaped backward.

I didn't pursue him.

My attention was now focused entirely on the woman glaring at me with hatred.

"You seem to be enjoying slaughtering my soldiers, Prince Vlad," the woman said coldly. "Don't you think it's time you faced an opponent worthy of you?"

Her words sounded perfectly polite.

Yet there was an unmistakable threat behind them.

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha! How interesting! How very interesting!"

I laughed excitedly once again.

"Very well, Elena de Aragon! Let's settle our business here! Your nation will fall, and everyone under your command will become my slaves!"

We both activated Accel and launched ourselves toward each other.

— Tang!

My Blood Sword collided with Elena's Lightning Sword,

creating sparks around our blades.

Our eyes met.

Her beautiful blue eyes burned with determination as the two of us prepared for the battle that would decide the fate of the city.